Sparks in the Snow
by MischiefManaged08
Summary: An Alice Production: Sometimes love snakes it's way into your heart, and by the time you realize this, you're lost. See how Lily Evans discovers the truth in this.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

Lily Evans and James Potter never got along. It seemed to most that they were complete opposites, but in reality, they were very much alike. They were both the top of their class, very stubborn, and they were very close to their friends. But, when Lily looked back, it was one event that had started it all.

**Flashback to First Year:**

_Lily, who was sitting quietly in a corner with her book, didn't glance up when the compartment door opened. She didn't want anyone to see the tears that ran down her face, especially not the two boys that sat chatting in the compartment with her. She glanced up briefly when someone sat down across from her. "Oh. Hi, Severus." _

_"What's wrong, Lily?" _

_"I'm not really in the mood to talk right now," she replied, looking down at her book. _

_"Why not?" _

_She glanced up at him and more tears filled her eyes. "Tuney h-hates me! Because we saw that letter from Dumbledore." _

_"So what?" _

_Lily stared at him in disbelief. "She's my sister!" _

_"She's only a mug-" he started to say, but quickly stopped himself. Luckily for him, Lily hadn't heard, because she was busy wiping away the tears. "But we're going! This is it! We're off to Hogwarts!" he said in attempt to cheer her. She nodded and smiled at him halfheartedly. "You'd better be in Slytherin," he added confidently. _

_"Slytherin?" came a voice from the corner next to her, a voice she would soon come to recognize as James Potter's. Lily looked up to see of a boy her age, his messy black hair falling in his hazel eyes, which were directed at Severus with disgust. "Who would want to be in Slytherin? I think I'd leave, wouldn't you?" he asked turning to the boy across from him. _

_"My whole family's been in Slytherin," the boy stated gloomily. _

_"Blimey! And I thought you seemed alright, Sirius!" _

_Sirius grinned at James and said, "Maybe I'll break the tradition. Where are you headed off to, if you've got the choice?" _

_James lifted an imaginary sword and swiped it through the air. "Gryffindor, where dwell the brave of heart! Like my dad." Severus snorted at James, who turned on him at the sound. "Got a problem with that?" he asked in disgust. _

_Severus sneered at him. "No, if you'd rather be brawny than brainy-" _

_"Where are you hoping to go, seeing as you're neither?" Sirius interrupted. _

_James roared with laughter in his seat and Lily stood up, flushing with anger. "And what would you know about being brawny or brainy, much less, brawny __**and **__brainy?! Come on, Severus. Let's go find another compartment." _

_"Ooooooo..." Sirius and James said, trying to imitate her. She glared at them both in dislike before pulling Severus to the door, but not without James sticking out a foot and nearly tripping Severus as he passed. _

_"See ya, Snivellus!" one of them called before the compartment door closed with a snap. _

Lily had never forgiven James and Sirius for their bullying ways. And that wasn't the last time she had had to put up with them. Not only did they love to prank people to no end, but James had set his sights on Lily, asking her to Hogsmeade every chance he got. And it didn't help that everyone, including the teachers, loved him.

**Flashback to Fifth Year:  
**  
_She had been reading by the lake in fifth year after O.W.L. exams and James and his friends, which now included Peter Pettigrew and Remus Lupin, had decided to pick on Severus. Lily had jumped up to stop them, yelling at James in her usual way, when in a burst of anger, Severus yelled, "I don't need help from filthy mudbloods like you!" _

_She spun around to look at him, he was glaring at her. Without a second thought, she whipped out her wand and yelled, "IMPEDIMENTA!" The blast of her spell, caused by her anger, sent him flying into shallows of the lake. She stood there for a moment, breathing heavily, when a hand touched her arm. _

_"Lily-" She whipped around, yanking her arm from his grasp. _

_"Leave me alone!" she hissed, before turning on her heal and running for the castle, leaving a shocked James and a soaking Severus in her wake._  
_  
A few days later, Severus had tried to approach her about it in the library and she had whipped out her wand so fast he didn't see it coming. "Stay away from me!" she hissed at him. _

_"Lily, I'm sorry!" he said, desperately. _

_"You were supposed to be my friend! I would have expected something like that from one of my enemy's, but from my best friend?" she whisper-yelled at him, her body trembling with rage and hurt. _

_"I'm sorry," he whispered again. _

_"This isn't something I can forgive," she replied, still shaking. With her wand still pointed at him, he turned and left, never looking back. She dropped into her chair in exhaustion, her face buried in her hands. How could her best friend do this to her? She suddenly felt drained. She stood wearily and shoved her books into her bag and left, never realizing that James had seen the whole episode from behind a bookshelf._

And that had been the end of her friendship with Severus Snape. She still hated James bitterly, but she loathed Severus with a passion. Severus rarely ever spoke to her after that and James left her alone, knowing that she would not tolerate his pranks. And so that incident was the last of James's and Lily's huge battles...that is, until the beginning of their Seventh and Final Year.


	2. Chapter 1

**Chapter 1**

Lily glanced up at the tap on her window._ Finally, my Hogwarts letter is here_, she thought. She quickly unlocked her window and pushed it open. The owl pushed the letter into her hands, before speeding off into the distance. She absently pushed the window closed and dropped onto her bed again, breaking the seal on her letter as she sat. She pulled the letters from the envelope, glancing down when she saw something colorful drop into her lap.

"OH MY GOSH!!" she squealed when she realized what it was. She grabbed the badge from her lap and stared at the red and gold letters, HG. This could only mean one thing. She opened her letters and scanned the contents. The first two letters were a list of her new schoolbooks and her letter from Professor McGonagall saying she was invited back for her seventh year.

The last letter, however, was the one she was looking for. She quickly read the letter, a grin spreading over her face.

**Dear Miss Evans, **

**We are pleased to inform you that you have been given the honor of being this year's Head Girl. Included is your badge, which will be worn at all times. You will be performing the rounds alongside the prefects and your fellow Head Boy. **

**Sincerely, **

**Minerva McGonagall  
Deputy Headmistress**

Lily reread the letter seven more times before she stood up and raced downstairs. She came to a stop in the kitchen where her mother was making dinner and Petunia was setting the table. The sight of Petunia made Lily hesitate, but her excitement got the better of her.

"Mum! I just got my letter! I'm going to be Head Girl!" she said, excitedly. Her mother turned, her face as red as her hair from the kitchen's heat, and smiled at her, while Petunia just rolled her eyes with a very sour look on her face.

"That's wonderful, dear! I know how much you wanted this," her mother said, giving her a hug. Her mother smiled down at her, her brown eyes sparkling.

"Thanks, Mum. Where's Dad? I want to go tell him!"

"He's in his study, dear," she replied, just before Lily raced off to find him.

Lily reached her father's study seconds later, pausing briefly to knock, before she was invited in. Her father was a lawyer, yet somehow always managed to find time to spend at home, preferably in his study. He was a tall man with dark brown hair and bright green eyes, like his youngest daughter.

"Dad! I got it! I'm Head Girl!" she said, with a grin.

"That's great, Lils! I knew you'd get it!"

"Thanks, Dad. I still can't believe it!" she said, glancing down at her letter as if to make sure it hadn't disappeared. Her father smiled at her.

"You had better get cleaned up for dinner. We'll go to Diagon Alley tomorrow to get your new books and things."

"Alright, Dad."

Lily kissed him on the cheek before she went upstairs to get ready.

Lily helped her father finish loading her trolley before she turned to say goodbye. She quickly hugged and kissed them all goodbye, before she could tear up, then turned to her trolley. She quickly pushed it towards the wall between platforms nine and ten. She positioned her trolley and then ran straight at the wall, vanishing from sight.

Lily emerged seconds later onto Platform nine and three quarters. She pushed her trolley to the train and dragged her trunk and owl cage to the prefects' compartment. She smiled when she recognized the short dirty blonde head of one of the girls that were loading her things as well.

Anna McKinnon had been a prefect along with Lily the past two years and one of Lily's best friends for the past six. She quickly loaded her trunk and then rushed over to her friend.

"Anna!" she squealed, happily. Anna spun around and grinned at Lily.

"Lils!" she squealed back, hugging her best friend. "Everyone is in one of the back carriages, I'll show you," Anna said, when they had finished with her trunk. She led Lily into the corridor and to the back of the carriages. Anna pushed open one of the compartment doors and dropped into one of the available seats. Lily grinned at the others.

Alice Prewitt and Gwen Watson grinned up at her. Alice was sporting an even shorter hair style than the last time Lily had seen her. Her black hair was cut above her shoulders with her bangs falling into her sparkling blue eyes. Gwen however was quite the opposite. She had long wavy blonde hair with light brown eyes. They both stood and hugged her before she dropped down next to Anna.

"So you're Head Girl now... I knew it!" Gwen said, referring to Lily's letter. She grinned at her friend and sighed.

"But who is Head Boy? That's what I want to know," Lily replied. The three girls exchanged a look, which Lily didn't miss. "What?"

"Um, Lils," Alice started, biting her lip.

"It's Potter," Anna said.

"No!" Lily exclaimed. The three girls nodded in unison and Lily stared at them in horror. "What am I going to do?" she asked them. It was common knowledge that Lily and her friends hated the Marauders and tried to avoid them at all cost. And now Lily would be forced to work alongside Potter for hours on end all year!

"This'll be interesting," Alice muttered, to the slight grins of Gwen and Anna.

A few hours later, a knock came on the door to the four girls' compartment. They glanced up as one, to see James Potter and the rest of the Marauders in the doorway.

"What do you want, Potter?" Gwen asked in annoyance.

"I want to talk to Lily, Watson. Got a problem with that?" he asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Maybe I do," Gwen started, before Lily laid a hand on her arm and shook her head. Lily stood and left the compartment, James and his friends not far behind.

"Potter, if _you_ want to talk to me, then you don't need your flunkies to back you up," she said, looking pointedly at the three boys behind James. Sirius bristled and opened his mouth to say something, but James shook his head and they turned and left, walking down the corridor to their compartment.

"I wanted to talk to you about our Head duties."

"What about them?" she asked.

"What do you want to do about the weekly meetings we are supposed to have?"

Lily thought about it for a moment before she replied, "Let's meet in the Library at 8 p.m. on Saturday nights. We can switch it around if it becomes a problem for either of us." He nodded and she turned to go.

"Lily?" he asked. She turned to look at him.

"Yeah?"

"Never mind," he said and walked off to his compartment.

Lily shook her head before entering her own and dropping back into her seat and joining in the conversation.


	3. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

Lily sat at the Gryffindor Table, talking to her friends after the sorting when Professor Dumbledore stood for his annual speech.

"Welcome, students and staff, to another year at Hogwarts. To our new students, welcome and to our returning students, welcome back. A reminder to all, that the Forbidden Forest is off-limits to all students. I would like to introduce your new professor, Ginger Grudge, who will be taking over the Ancient Runes class for the sixth and seventh years. I would also like to introduce our new Head students, Lily Evans and James Potter." Lily stood and saw James do the same further down the table. After a moment, she sat back down.

"I would like to speak with you both after dinner," Dumbledore said. Lily nodded and when the headmaster was finished, she returned to her conversation with her friends.

--

"Now I trust that there won't be any mishaps between the two of you?" Dumbledore said after he reminded them of their duties.

"No, sir," they replied in unison.

"Good, good. Now, the Head dorms are on the seventh floor behind the tapestry of Barnabas the Barmy attempting to teach trolls to dance ballet. You'll be let in immediately and then you can change the password to whatever you like. Good night."

"Good night, Professor," Lily said as he left. "I'm just gonna guess and say that you know exactly where this is, so you can lead the way," she told James. He nodded and led her up the many, moving staircases, and down the seventh floor corridor, eventually stopping in front of the tapestry.

"Hello, Heads," Sir Barnabas said, just before the huge tapestry was pulled up like a stage curtain to reveal a large round door. James pushed it in and then walked through the door, Lily not far behind.

"Wow," she murmured under her breath. The common room was decorated in red and gold and resembled the Gryffindor common room except for the many shelves of books and the two doors that were labeled James and Lily in gold. James nodded in agreement. Lily walked to her door and touching the dark mahogany around her name. The door opened at her touch and she walked inside.

A large four-poster stood at the opposite wall with a desk, bureau, and door lining her other walls. Her trunk and empty owl cage sat at the end of her bed. The house elves must have let Arabella out already. She opened the other door and walked into her bathroom. Lily smiled and then walked back into the Common Room.

James sat on one of the couches, his gaze on the open window. He glanced at her when she entered, but didn't speak. Lily walked to the bookshelves and scanned the selection, all the while she could feel his eyes on her back. Finally, she gave up trying to find a book and walked to her room. "Good night, Potter."

"What about the password?" he asked.

"Umm... I don't know. You'll think of something." Lily turned and walked back into her room. Just before she closed the door, she heard James mutter, "Fanged Geranium, it is, then." Lily's brow furrowed in confusion. _Where in the world did he get that from? _She thought.

Then she remembered in fourth year, when he had been extremely annoying in his persistence of asking her out. They were in the greenhouse for Herbology and she had threatened to set a fanged geranium on him if he didn't leave her alone. He had ignored her and that was exactly what she had done.

Shaking her head in disbelief, she shut the door and went to bed.

--

Lily woke early the next morning to find a pale gray light streaming through her windows that could only mean that it was raining. When she remembered the events of the day before, she sighed. Its almost fitting that the weather should reflect my mood, she thought.

She slowly stood and got dressed. Hopefully, James wasn't awake yet. She quietly crept from her bedroom and silently crossed the Common Room. She was just about to reach the portrait hole, when…

"Morning, Lily."

She internally cringed and then turned slowly to face him. His expression was blank, but there was something in his eyes. Was that hurt? Was he hurt that she had tried to sneak out without seeing him? He couldn't honestly think that she was interested in talking to him.

"Morning," she replied, a bit stiffly.

"Sleep well?" he asked.

"Yeah, I was about to go and meet Anna for breakfast," she lied, saying the first name that came to mind.

"Oh. Well, have fun," he said, obviously seeing through her lie. Anna was rarely up before 11:00 and it was 9:30. She nodded shortly and slipped through the portrait hole. She almost felt bad for lying to him. _Wait a minute! Why should I feel bad for lying to Potter? It's Potter, for crying out loud!_ She thought. _What is wrong with me? Maybe I'm coming down with something._

She shook her head slightly as she entered the Great Hall. She looked around and spotted Alice and Gwen. She walked towards them, pushing those thoughts to the back of her mind.

"Morning," she said, dropping down next to Gwen.

"Morning," Alice replied.

"So how was your night?" Gwen asked, eyebrows raised. Lily rolled her eyes.

"My night was fine, thank you. And yours?" she asked.

"Fine. So?" Gwen asked, obviously wanting to know what had happened between her and Potter.

"So, what?" she asked back, stalling for time as she filled her plate.

"Lily!" Gwen exclaimed. "Spill!"

"Nothing happened, Gwen. We got to the dorm, I was about to go to bed, and he asked what the password should be. I told him that he could pick it," she said, realizing too late that her friends would want to know what the password was so they could hang out in her dorm.

"And?" Alice asked.

"Fanged Geranium," she muttered. They looked confused and then Alice grinned, understanding. Soon after, Gwen burst into a fit of giggles. They both had been present in that fourth year Herbology class.

"Good times," Gwen said, with a happy sigh. Lily rolled her eyes again and reached for the toast.

An hour later, Anna emerged and plopped down beside Alice.

"Morning, Anna," Lily said.

"Morning," she replied, her voice showing that she thought it was much too early to be awake.

"Can you guess what the password to Lily's dorm is? She let James pick it," Gwen said. Lily glared at her friend, kicking what she thought was Gwen under the table.

"Ow!" Alice exclaimed.

"Oh! Sorry, Alice," she said. She stomped on Gwen's foot this time, causing her to have the same response as Alice.

Anna seemed to be oblivious to the stomping of feet. She looked suddenly interested in Lily.

"No, and I don't want to waste my time guessing. Lils?" she asked with a slight smile.

Lily rolled her eyes at the nickname. "Fanged Geranium."

Anna's smile widened and she nodded. "Figures."

--

Lily spent the rest of the day rather uneventfully. Unfortunately, James was in most of her classes, except for Ancient Runes. And of course with her luck, he was her potions partner. By the time the end of the day came she was exhausted. She quickly did her homework, and then walked to her room.

"Night, Lily," James said.

"Night," she said. She closed her door with a sigh. This was going to be a long year.


	4. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I don't own it, although I totally wish I did!**

**Chapter 3**

The past month had passed quickly. Lily had settled into a routine. She woke up and went to breakfast. Had class, then had lunch, and then had more class. She went to the Library to do her homework. She would study and then go to dinner. She went to the Common Room, grabbed a book to read until it was time to start patrolling, and then after patrolling, she went to bed. And repeat.

It was now October and with Halloween quickly approaching, she was ready for a break from all of her school work. Lily walked up the stairs, her arms full of books. She said the password to Sir Barnabas and she heard a faint click as the tapestry rose. She dropped her books on her desk with a loud thud. James looked up from his paper at the sound.

"Sorry," she said. She hadn't meant to break his concentration.

They were getting along better than one would have thought. They could even be called friends. She smiled slightly when he rolled his eyes. He rolled up his paper not long after that. She walked over and leaned against his desk.

"So we need to figure out what we are doing for the Halloween Trick or Treat," she said, smiling. This would be interesting. The Head Boy and Girl always designed a Halloween Trick or Treat. They would have some kind of prank or show.

James nodded. "Let me think on it. I'm sure we can come up with something." She grinned at this.

"Of course we can. Are you ready for dinner? I'm about to walk down."

He nodded. She led the way to the door. As they walked down the stairs, she wondered where Alice had been all day. She hadn't seen her outside of class all day. She was probably with Frank. She smiled at this. She was glad that her friend was so happy. She and Frank had been dating since the end of fifth year.

"What are you thinking about?" James asked. He liked to ask her that a lot, especially when she was smiling.

"I was thinking about Frank and Alice. I'm glad that she is so happy."

"I wouldn't be surprised if they got married after graduation."

Lily laughed. "Me either." She imagined her small friend in a wedding dress. She could see it. They walked into the Great Hall, laughing. A few heads turned, mainly the older ones. They just couldn't get used to the idea of Lily and James not fighting. Their friends all exchanged knowing looks. Lily raised an eyebrow at Anna, who just shook her head.

"What's so funny?" Sirius asked. He always wanted to be in on the joke. James just shook his head. They all ate in amiable silence, speaking occasionally. Lily stood when she was finished, a yawn escaping her.

"I'm quite tired. I'm going to head up. I was hoping to get in a bit of reading before bed." She waved goodnight to her friends, walking up to the common room.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

James walked into the Common Room a while later. He smiled when he saw Lily asleep on the couch, her book on the floor. She must have fallen asleep reading. He walked quietly over to her. He lifted her carefully from the couch, carrying her to her bedroom. He laid her on the bed, covering her with the blanket. He looked at her for a moment, and then sighed.

"If only you knew, Lily. If only you knew," he said, delicately brushing her hair from her face.

_________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

The morning of Halloween dawned bright and clear. The Head Boy and Girl had prepared everything carefully. They walked down to breakfast together, discussing their plans cheerily. They changed the subject when they reached the Great Hall, not wanting to give anything away.

As they walked into the Great Hall, a few students turned to look sympathetically at Lily, some whispering filled the hall. She stared at them in confusion. None of their friends seemed to know what was going on either.

The mail came soon after that. Alice received the Daily Prophet like usual. Lily looked at the unfamiliar owl that dropped a letter in her lap. The handwriting was unfamiliar. She looked at the letter quizzically, until she heard a gasp next to her.

"Lils, that's the Minister's handwriting. Mum gets letters from the Minister all the time," Anna said.

"But why would the Minister write to me?" she asked no one in particular. She turned it over and broke the seal, her hands shaking slightly. Could this have to do with the stares that she had been receiving all morning?

Lily unfolded the letter and read aloud.

_Dear Miss Evans, _

_I am so sorry to have to inform you of this tragic occurrence. Early this morning, Death Eaters attacked the neighborhood in which your parents reside. Your mother was only slightly injured and is currently at St. Mungo's. Unfortunately, your father was severely injured and could not be helped. He died three hours later as a result of his injuries. You have my deepest condolences. _

_Sincerely,_

_Millicent Bagnold_

_Minister of Magic_

Lily dropped the letter as if it were on fire. She stared at the place where it had been, frozen in shock. They all stared at her, their eyes filled with worry and sadness. James touched her arm, gently. His touch awakened her from her stupor. She stood slowly and walked out of the hall. The Great Hall was dead silent, all eyes following her.

Her friends all looked at each other when the doors closed behind her. Alice looked down at the paper in front of her. Glaring on the front page was the Dark Mark. It was shining in the sky above a street corner. She gasped, tugging on Anna's arm.

"That's Lily's house," Anna whispered, tears coursing down her face. That must have been how so many knew about it. They had gotten the paper already. James stood suddenly. They watched him walk quietly from the hall, a strange look on his face.

__________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

Lily sat beneath the beech tree, her arms encircling her legs. She heard footsteps approaching, but didn't look up. She didn't really care who it was. James sat next her without a word. She stared at the lake, the crisp October wind chilling her. She had left her cloak in the Common Room.

Suddenly she stood, anger washing over her. She picked up a rock, throwing it as hard and as far as she could at the lake. She screamed in anguish, sinking to the ground. James stood and walked over to her. A strong arm wrapped around her, gently pulling her up. He led her to the castle and avoided the halls full of students, taking a more remote path to the Heads' Room.

He sat down next to her on the couch. She had been silent the whole way up. As she stared at the fire, she finally registered his arm around her. Her father had always comforted her in this way. At the memory of her father, she felt her eyes fill. Not able to control her agony any longer, she sobbed into him. James held her for what seemed like hours to her. Finally, when her tears had run dry, she fell into a deep slumber, exhausted from her emotions.

James held her while she slept, her head resting on his shoulder. He suddenly remembered the Trick or Treat that was supposed to occur tonight. Luckily, they had set it on a sort of timer. They wouldn't be needed to set it off.

When he was sure she was deep asleep, he lifted her into his arms, carrying her to her room like he had a few weeks before. He gently laid her in her bed, wiping the tear stains from her face. Tomorrow would be a long, hard day for her. She would probably be leaving soon to be with her mother. He silently watched her sleep. Lily, the headstrong girl who never showed weakness, lay vulnerable, the picture of loss. He couldn't imagine losing his own father. How would she be able to bear this? As he thought of this, small snowflakes fell outside the window.

The first snow.

___________________________________________________________________________________________________________________

**Okay, I know some of you will probably hate me because of the sadness. But I wrote this a while back and felt like I couldn't put it off much longer. It originally was going to happen over Christmas break, but I didn't want to ruin that holiday. I like it too much. So please review. Cookies for those who do!!!**


	5. Chapter 4

**TA-DAHHH!!!! Chapter 4! Ok, I know its really short, but I promise that the next chapter will be longer! I'll post it as soon as possible, if Arie would edit a little faster! I've had to pester her all week. So cyber-cookies for reviews. EXCEPT YOU, TWIN! haha**

**Chapter 4**

Lily woke to a pale light filtering through her window. She shot up in bed when she saw what time it was. Then she remembered it was Sunday. She lay back on her pillow. It all came back in a rush. The red head brushed the tears that were forming from her eyes. She pulled her trunk towards her wardrobe. She pulled clothes from her wardrobe, carefully folding them and placing them in her trunk. Lily went next to her bookshelf, and pulled her school books out and dropped them on top of her clothes. She didn't want to get behind while she was gone. Lily grabbed a few things from her bathroom and then snapped her trunk shut.

She looked up to find James leaning against her door frame. She smiled sadly at him.

"Hi."

"Hi. So you're leaving, then?" he asked quietly. She nodded, silent. She didn't know what to say.

"I'll only be gone for a couple of weeks. Just until after the- the funeral," she said, choking out the words. They turned to the window at the tapping sound. She looked walked over, pulling it open. A small owl dropped a letter into her hand, and then flew away.

"It's from McGonagall," she said, opening it.

_Ms. Evans, _

_Your train to London will leave at one o'clock. Please give our regards to your family._

_Sincerely,_

_Professor McGonagall _

Lily dropped the letter on her desk as she walked towards James.

"Let's go get some breakfast. I'm starved," she said as walked past him. She heard his footsteps as she walked to the door.

They were silent as they walked towards the Great Hall. They walked in and a sudden silence filled the hall. She glanced around, her face flaming, and then hurried to her friends. She smiled slightly at them as she sat down next to Anna. Anna touched her arm slightly, a question in her eyes.

"I'll be fine. My train leaves at one," she said, quietly. They ate mostly in silence, occasionally talking.

When they were done, Anna, Alice, and Gwen stood.

"We're going the Lake. Want to come?" Lily nodded and followed them.

They sat beneath the beech tree, the slight cover of snow mixing in their hair and cloaks, in companionable silence. Finally, Lily looked at the clock tower.

"It's twelve. I'd better go get my trunk. And I have to find Noctua." She stood reluctantly and the girls followed her back to the castle. They parted, going to their separate Common Rooms. She walked to the Heads' Room, alone with her thoughts. She walked into her room, only to find Noctua in her cage, ready to go. She levitated her trunk and cage. She walked to the Entrance Hall and stopped suddenly.

At the bottom of the stairs, all of her friends stood waiting for her. Professor Dumbledore and McGonagall were even there. She walked down the stairs slowly. Her cage and trunk sat waiting by the doors. She smiled at the professors. Dumbledore hugged her and McGonagall touched her hand reassuringly. She turned to her friends.

She quickly hugged three of the Marauders. She turned and gave Gwen and Alice hugs. She turned to Anna and hugged her best friend tightly.

"Don't forget to write," she whispered in her ear.

Then she turned to James. He stepped towards her and enveloped her in his strong arms. She laid her head against his chest for a moment. Their hug seemed to last longer than it should have. Finally, she reluctantly pulled back. She smiled at all of her friends, tears misting in her eyes.

"I'll be back in three weeks. Don't get into too much trouble while I'm gone," she said, looking pointedly at the Marauders. She turned and saw that her trunk and cage were gone. _House Elves_, she thought as she pulled open the doors and with one last look at her friends, she left.


	6. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: I don't own anything...**

**Chapter 5**

Lily stood at the barrier that separated Platform 9 ¾ from the Muggle world. On the other side of that wall were her mother and sister. She was afraid to see their faces, especially her mother's. Gathering her courage, she pushed through the barrier, trembling.

Her mother stood close by, her face a picture of heartbreak. Her sister stood next to her, her face a mix of anger and sadness. She approached them, hesitantly. Her sister caught sight of her first. Petunia glared at her younger sister, pure loathing radiating from her face. Lily almost took a step back at the intensity of her stare. She looked away from her sister and turned to her mother. Mrs. Evans had seen her by now. She rushed towards her younger daughter.

"Oh, Lils!" she said, wrapping Lily in her warm embrace. She could feel her mother's tears on her cheek, as well as her own.

Lily stared at the coffin as it was lowered into the cold ground. Her father was in there. She still couldn't comprehend his death. She still expected him to walk in the door every morning with a newspaper.

At last she turned away from the grave, her eyes blurred with unshed tears. She walked to the back of the small crowd. She could feel her sister's gaze burning into her back, but she didn't care. She was done with trying to make peace with Petunia. She had long ago accepted that they would never be close again.

Lily gasped when she saw who stood at the back of the crowd, separated from the rest of the mourners.

"Hello, Lily," James said. Anna and Alice stood next to him. They rushed forward, engulfing her in their hugs.

"How are you, Lils?" Anna asked, concerned.

"Are you doing okay? Of course you aren't! Stupid question!" Alice said, rambling slightly.

Lily smiled at her friends for what seemed like the first time in days. Her home had become stifling and depressing. She had spent most of her time in her father's study, looking through his books. She had always loved to spend the summer days in there, discussing books with her father. When she wasn't in there, she was in the park, trying to escape the unbearable pain.

"I've been better," she said, quietly. She pulled her friends a bit farther from the crowd, which was quickly dispersing. "So how's everyone at school?" She asked, trying to get the subject off herself. She had barely gotten the words out of her mouth when she heard Petunia's shrill voice behind her. Lily winced.

"What are _they_ doing here!?" She asked her tone spitting venom. She had met Anna and Alice during the summer. They had both turned seventeen in June and Lily had them over for their birthdays. They had performed a bit of magic and Petunia had never gotten over it.

"They came to see me, Petunia. Do you have a problem?" she asked, her voice dangerously calm. She had been holding back her anger at her sister for a long time, especially after she had come back from school and she knew she couldn't hold it back much longer.

"Yes, I do, Lily," she said, spitting out her sister's name as if it was a bad word. "Its people like you freaks that killed him!"

"Petty-" Lily started.

"Don't you Petty me! This is all your fault! If you weren't a freak like them," she practically screamed at her sister, pointed at Lily's three friends, "then none of this would have happened! Dad would still be alive!"

Lily's hand was whipping through the air before she knew what she was doing. A strong hand caught her arm before her hand made contact with her sister's face. James's free arm wrapped around her waist, pulling her away from her sister. Petunia stared at her, her face full of shock, which was slowly melting into anger. She opened her mouth to say something, but Lily cut her off.

"Go away, Petunia. Before I do something that you will regret. Because I sure as hell won't regret cursing you into oblivion," she hissed at her sister, her voice full of suppressed anger. Her hand still hovered inches from Petunia's face.

Petunia didn't waste time getting away from them. She rushed off, joining her boyfriend, Vernon Dursley. Lily stared after her sister for a moment, then ripped free of James. She stormed towards a grove of Weeping Willows. She heard footsteps behind her but didn't turn. She knew it was James. Anna and Alice knew better than to approach her when she was like this. They had probably told James to come and talk to her.

She paced back and forth, feeling his eyes on her. He didn't say a word. Neither did she. Finally she slumped down next to James, leaning against the trunk of one of the Willows.

"She's right," she whispered, almost inaudible. Her eyes brimmed with tears. The tears fell down her cheeks, unable to stop them. James wrapped an arm around her shoulder and she sobbed into his chest. Somehow, she always seemed to seek solace in his embrace.

"No, Lily, she's not." She pulled back to look at him. He reached up and brushed away her tears. "It's people like us that _stop_ the people that killed him." His hazel eyes burned into hers, willing her to believe him. Their eyes were locked and she felt like she was being pulled toward him. Then slowly she leaned forward, her lips brushing his softly. Before she could pull away, he leaned closer, his lips pressed firmly against hers. Her eyes fell closed. His hands threaded through her hair and her arms found their way around his neck. After a long moment she pulled away, resting her forehead against his.

"Thank you. For everything," she whispered, her eyes still closed. He brushed away the last of her tears.

"I'm always here."

They sat in silence for a little while, then finally, they stood and walked back to where they had last seen Anna and Alice, their hands intertwined. The girls stood waiting for them, knowing looks on both their faces. She smiled timidly at them and their faces broke into huge grins. Alice kept looking, excitedly, from their hands to Lily's face to James's and back again, while Anna watched Lily. She could tell Anna was worried about her still.

"So how long are you staying?" Lily asked, trying to distract Alice.

"We leave this afternoon. We only came to the funeral. Dumbledore would have given us longer, but McGonagall didn't want us to miss class." Anna replied. Alice rolled her eyes.

"McGonagall is no fun. Well, not that this was supposed to be fun, but-"Alice started.

"Alice. Stop talking," Anna said, giving her friend a condescending look. Alice stuck her tongue out at her causing Lily to giggle.

"I'll come with you to London. I might even convince my mum to let me go back early. I can't stay here with _her_ much longer. I might end up getting myself expelled," Lily said, thinking of her sister. James squeezed her hand, reassuringly.

"Let's go back to my house. I should talk to my mother before I go anywhere."

They walked the short distance to the Evans' house, talking along the way. Lily opened the door, leading her friends into the hall. She took a deep breath and then led them into the living room. Her sister sat with Vernon on the loveseat, her glaring eyes following the magical teenagers. Mrs. Evans sat in her father's favorite arm chair. Lily quickly sat on the couch and turned to her mother.

"Mum, can I talk to you for a minute? In private," she said, glancing at her sister's Muggle boyfriend. She nodded and they walked to the study.

Lily closed the door behind her and turned to her mother.

"I have to go back. I- I can't stay here with Petunia," she said, quietly. She looked up at her mother and saw her fingering a small box.

Mrs. Evans nodded. "Okay. But before you go, I wanted to give you this." She handed Lily the small box. "It was your grandmother's. We were going to give it to you for your birthday, but I thought you should have it now. Your father- your father would have wanted you to have it."

Lily opened the box and gasped. A small gold locket lay in the velvet-lined box. Lily lifted it slightly and opened it. Inside was a small picture of her father and on the other side was a picture of Mr. Evans holding a baby Lily. It was gorgeous.

"Oh, Mum! It's beautiful!"

"We added the picture of you and your father, but the other was the original picture." Lily closed the locket and looked at the inscription on the back.

_Ut Meus Lily, meus lux lucis. _Lily looked up at her mother, a questioning look on her face. She recognized some of the words, but not many. Her mother smiled for the first time in what seemed like days.

"It says 'To My Lily, my light.'"

Lily fastened the locket around her neck and walked to her mother. She hugged her and then went to go pack.

Lily maneuvered the car into the empty parking space at Kings Cross Station. Her mother slid out of the passenger seat and James, Alice, and Anna jumped out of the slightly cramped backseat. She popped the trunk and they started pulling out their trunks and her birdcage. They quickly loaded them onto the trolleys and made their way through the usual crowd to the barrier between Platforms 9 and 10.

The girls pushed through the barrier and James stood at her side, waiting for her to say goodbye to her mother. Petunia hadn't spoken to Lily since the funeral, and she didn't mind keeping it that way. Lily walked forward, giving her mother a hug.

"Be careful, dear."

"I will, Mum. I promise." She kissed her cheek, and then pushed her trolley forward and in seconds, James and Lily were gone. They quickly loaded their trunks into one of the empty carriages. They sat in silence for a while, watching the country side pass by the window. Not long after, Alice started to talk and Anna joined in. Lily remained quiet, worn out from the long day.

She leaned her head against James's shoulder. His arm encircled her shoulders, pulling her closer. She closed her eyes briefly and before she knew it, James was nudging her awake.

"We're almost there."

James left the compartment briefly so they could change and when he came back, they all were dressed in their robes. Lily took his hand when he sat down. He smiled.

Soon they saw the far away lights of the Hogwarts Castle and the closer lights of Hogsmeade. They were home.

**Author's Note: YAY!!! This was why I made last chapter all sad. Because I was planning this to happen right after. As always, reviews are appreciated and of course greatly encouraged. By this I mean, REVIEW!!! please. I love reviews!!!! Cookies for those who do, so R&R!!!**


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